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The Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill will present the Executive Bill package to President Bola Tinubu on September 3, 2026, after concluding nationwide stakeholder consultations and technical drafting.
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The proposed legislation is designed to establish the legal, operational and institutional framework for a dual federal-state policing system, addressing recruitment, funding, command structures, accountability and other implementation challenges.
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Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila clarifies that state police has not yet become operational, stressing that the constitutional amendment creating it must first secure approval from the required number of State Houses of Assembly before taking effect.
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The Federal Government says no state will be allowed to establish its own police service until it satisfies strict national standards on recruitment, training, equipment, financial sustainability, human rights safeguards, independent oversight and public accountability, while inviting Nigerians to contribute to the reform process through a nationwide consultation.
August 03, (THEWILL) — The Federal Government has fixed September 3, 2026, for the presentation of the Executive National Policing Bill package to President Bola Tinubu, marking a major step towards the creation of a state police system and the most far-reaching policing reform in Nigeria in decades.
The Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed the timeline on Monday after a meeting of the committee at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said the proposed legislation would not merely establish the legal basis for state policing but would also provide the operational, administrative and institutional framework required to implement a dual federal-state policing structure once the constitutional amendment establishing state police becomes law.
According to him, the executive bill package will undergo nationwide stakeholder consultations before President Tinubu grants final approval, after which it will be transmitted to the National Assembly for legislative consideration.
“The resulting executive bill package is scheduled for presentation to the President on the 3rd of September. We have tweaked the process so that the national consultation will come before the President’s final approval, after which the text and supporting materials will be revised and prepared for formal transmission to the National Assembly”, Gbajabiamila said.
The Chief of Staff cautioned Nigerians against assuming that state police had already become operational, stressing that the constitutional amendment creating the new policing structure has not yet completed the required legislative process.
He explained that although both chambers of the National Assembly have made significant progress on the constitutional amendment, it has yet to receive approval from the constitutionally required number of State Houses of Assembly.
“The constitutional amendment is not yet in force. Until that process is concluded and the necessary implementing laws are enacted, there is no operational state police service anywhere in Nigeria, and the Nigeria Police Force remains the constitutionally recognised police institution”, he stated.
Gbajabiamila noted that the constitutional amendment alone would not address several practical issues associated with decentralised policing.
He said critical matters such as recruitment, training, command and control, funding, pensions, firearms regulation, intelligence sharing, data management, complaints mechanisms, jurisdiction, accountability and cooperation between federal and state police formations would be comprehensively addressed in the proposed National Policing Bill and related legislation.
“Our mandate is to produce a technically robust, implementation-ready draft National Policing Bill and supporting legislative package. We are building the legal and operational framework required to move from one federal police institution to a workable dual policing architecture”, he added.
States Must Meet Strict Conditions
Gbajabiamila said the Federal Government would not permit any state to commence police operations until it satisfies clearly defined national standards covering recruitment, personnel training, equipment, pensions, complaints handling, financial sustainability, firearms control and independent oversight.
“Operational commencement must be based on readiness, not announcement”, he declared.
He maintained that while individual states may exceed national standards, no Nigerian should receive inferior policing simply because of where they reside.
He further stressed that decentralised policing must not become a tool for political intimidation.
According to him, although state governments should play a greater role in maintaining public safety, political office holders must never be allowed to manipulate police institutions against opponents or suppress legitimate democratic activities.
He explained that any federal intervention in state policing operations would remain exceptional, evidence-based, proportionate, time-bound and subject to review, while police officers at every level would remain accountable to the Constitution rather than political interests.
Broad Institutional Participation
The Chief of Staff disclosed that President Tinubu had approved the establishment of a multidisciplinary Policy Advisory Committee chaired by Justice Mohammed Abdullahi Liman to provide technical oversight and validate the proposed legislation, fiscal framework and implementation strategy before executive approval.
Membership of the committee includes representatives of the judiciary, academia, the Nigeria Police Force, security agencies, the National Assembly, the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Nigerian Bar Association, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Attorneys-General representing the six geopolitical zones.
Gbajabiamila said the seven-week assignment, running from July 27 to September 14, would involve simultaneous legal drafting, policy research, implementation modelling and empirical data analysis.
The final package, he added, will include an explanatory memorandum, legal audit, clause-by-clause analysis, consequential amendments, implementation framework, fiscal notes, validation report, state readiness assessment, risk register and a digital legislative archive.
Public Invited to Contribute
As part of efforts to ensure broad national ownership of the reform, the Federal Government has invited Nigerians, civil society organisations, professional associations, security experts and other stakeholders to submit memoranda and policy recommendations.
Gbajabiamila announced that a dedicated online portal had been activated to receive public submissions and would later migrate to an official government domain.
“The whole idea behind state policing is for you and I and everybody out there to take ownership. No matter your station in life, you have an opportunity to contribute meaningfully”, he said.
Responding to questions on the financial implications of establishing state police services, he said it would be premature to estimate costs, explaining that expenditure would be determined through evidence-based research conducted across the states.
“There is no cost that will be too much to secure lives and property. But giving you a figure now would be pulling something out of thin air. The cost will be evidence-based and based on thorough research”, he stated.
He also dismissed concerns that some states may be unable to establish police services, insisting that every state possesses varying levels of institutional capacity.
Where a state is unable to meet the prescribed requirements, he said, the Nigeria Police Force would continue to provide policing services until the state becomes fully prepared.
“The federal police remains in place until such a time when the state is able to come on board with the state police”, he said.
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
